


Tough Conversations

by Absolutegarbagepile



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Drabble, M/M, Physical Therapy, Post locker room scene, Short, idk what this is lol, tough conversations, you know which one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 11:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14735744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Absolutegarbagepile/pseuds/Absolutegarbagepile
Summary: “Is it normal, though? To get fucking hard just from touching a guy but not from kissing a girl? It doesn’t seem very fucking normal to me.”





	Tough Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> This is very short and it’s basically just me dipping my toes into more fiction-style writing since it’s not something I do often. I find these two compelling and wanted to write a short convo following the locker-room incident. Plus, there’s a shamefully low amount of works on here for this ship so I thought I’d add one. Oh, also—I may decide to add onto this or make it part of something longer, as of right now I’m not really sure!

“It really isn’t a big deal, you know,”  
came the voice from Alex’s left. He heard Zach take a breath, his soft inhale the only noise other than the pool water lapping gently against his solid form in the dark.

“That sort of thing happens all the time. You really shouldn’t feel-“

“I know, okay?” Alex interrupted sharply, feeling a flush creep up his bare back despite the coolness of the water and the night air.

In his periphery he could see Zach raising his hands in a ‘sorry I said anything’ sort of gesture. He didn’t choose to look over or say anything in response. 

After the incident in the locker room he’d been too shocked and excited to really register what had happened and what it may imply, but after going home and relieving his sexual frustration for the first time in months, he’d suddenly found himself to be much clearer-headed. 

Jesus, had he seriously gotten _hard_ just from attempting to punch the wall of a person that was Zach Dempsey? He was considerably male, and also just kind of an asshole. Lesser so as of late, but still. Alex really did want to believe that it had just been a matter of some unfortunate physical contact—that his touch-starved body had just accidentally reacted to the proximity of another person after so long.  
If that was the case, though, then why hadn’t he felt anything with Jess? They’d full-on _kissed_ and he hadn’t even felt a twitch from down below.  
God, he really was fucked up.

He blinked to shake himself out of his muddled thoughts, trying to focus again on the task at hand. His breathing picked up with the difficulty of trying to keep pedaling, the water just making his movements feel slower. 

He jumped upon feeling a warm, wet hand rest comfortingly on his shoulder, and cursed Zach for having to be so frustratingly _helpful_ all of the time. It made him feel like a child who couldn’t do anything for himself. Worse was the shame that coiled in his belly when he realized that he _liked_ it. He _liked_ how protective Zach was of him; how worried he seemed to get whenever Alex struggled to walk or carry things, or when people teased him. He honestly seemed to get more upset than Alex did about it himself sometimes

Part of him wanted to flinch away from the touch, but he knew that that would be weird. Zach had been helping him with his physical therapy for months now, and to react to his touch any differently now would only give his tangled feelings away.

“Hey, Alex, you’re doing great. Honestly. Just keep pushing.” Zach said from his spot next to him, his voice softer than it usually was during their training. Alex wondered if Zach felt awkward too and was just better at not showing it. He’d always been annoyingly good at deflecting the tension. It’s probably what made him able to deal with Alex’s more-than-occasional breakdowns all of the time.

“I’m really not, but I appreciate the lying for my emotional benefit.” Alex finally looked up and mumbled, intending for his words to land as a joke but not entirely succeeding. 

Zach held his gaze, his jaw setting the way it tended to when he was determined about something. Alex had come to know that look well.  
“Shut up. You’re doing fine. You know, I’ve been looking into more cases similar to yours and you’re actually been progressing faster than many... similar victims have.” Alex could tell that he was struggling to find wording that wouldn’t offend, and just barely refrained from commenting on it. 

“That’s good.” Alex said unfeelingly, still struggling to pedal and wondering if he even cared enough to keep trying. 

“Alright, that’s enough. You’re acting like you’re upset with me. Is that it? Are you upset?”

Alex’s pedaling slowed to a stop. 

“Oh my god, _mom,_ it’s fine. I’m fine. Why can’t you just drop it?” 

“Are you still upset from what happened the other day?” Zach continued on, seemingly choosing to ignore Alex’s words, “because I really think that you are, even though I’ve already said a million times that what happened was normal.” 

Alex glared, irritably wiping at a stray drop of pool water rolling down his cheek.

“Is it normal, though? To get fucking hard just from touching a guy but not from kissing a girl? It doesn’t seem very fucking normal to me.” He returned agitatedly, aware of how petulant he probably sounded but not particularly caring.

Zach opened his mouth to say something but shut it again, opting instead to stay silent for a moment before sighing again. Alex would’ve punched him if he could for being so...sturdy all of the time if he could. How hard could it be for him to just yell back?

“Look, I don’t fucking know what’s normal or not anymore either. This isn’t even a little bit as fucked up as everything else going on right now, though.” Zach said, running a hand through his hair in a restless gesture that reminded Alex of someone else whom he couldn’t place. Droplets of water clung to the spiky black strands. Alex stared at them and thought about hitting him some more. 

“Alright, I guess I’ll give you that.”

Another oddly non-confrontational hand raise. 

“That’s all I’m asking.”

Alex resumed his pedaling, and Zach’s hand returned to his back.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave constructive criticism lol
> 
> disclaimer as of 2019::: i don't support 13rw as a show bc they don't handle any of the topics they attempt to "bring light to" well. i just like these two characters and wanted to write something short. ok bye!!


End file.
